National Lottery

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what financial assistance (a) his Department and (b) the National Lottery has given to (i) amateur and (ii) professional sports clubs in Brighton, Kemptown constituency since 2010.

Hugh Robertson: Sport England invests national lottery and Exchequer funding in community sport. Although Sport England does not record the amount of financial assistance specifically provided to amateur and professional sports clubs in constituency areas, £244,456 of lottery funding has been awarded to community sport in the Brighton, Kemptown constituency since April 2010, and £347,143 Exchequer funding.

Rats: Henderson Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the rat infestation on Henderson Island.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has made no assessment of the rat infestation on Henderson Island.
	However, two studies on rat eradication on Henderson Island, funded through the Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP), were completed in 2008 and 2009. Since then an OTEP-funded detailed operational plan for rat eradication was prepared as part of a project managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
	At the tenth Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, last October, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), was pleased to announce that DEFRA would be committing £200,000 towards an RSPB initiative to support the endangered. Henderson petrel, also safeguarding populations of other important, threatened bird species and restoring a globally-significant island ecosystem on Henderson Island.
	This brings the total funding that Her Majesty's Government have so far contributed towards the eradication of rats on Henderson Island to over £400,000.

Serco

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many contracts her Department holds with SERCO; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value of each such contract is.

Richard Benyon: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has a multi-source framework agreement with SERCO Consulting. This framework is for the provision of interim programme and project managers. The framework contract expires on 2 December 2011. There are currently no active contracts under this agreement for the Department.
	The Department and its executive agencies hold no other contracts with SERCO.

Apprentices: Government Departments

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprentices there are in each Government Department.

John Hayes: The latest available data collected by Government Skills cover apprenticeship starts during the period April 2010 to March 2011. During this period there were a total of 2120 apprenticeship starts within Government Departments.

Higher Education: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of schools in Brighton and Hove council area sent at least one pupil to the university of (a) Oxford and (b) Cambridge in each of the last 13 years.

David Willetts: The information is in the following table and is provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
	
		
			 Schools in Brighton and Hove with Applicants accepted to full-time undergraduate courses at Oxford university or university of Cambridge via UCAS 
			  Oxford university University of Cambridge 
			 Year of entry Number of schools with acceptances Percentage of schools with acceptances Number of schools with acceptances Percentage of schools with acceptances 
			 2001 5 56 4 44 
			 2002 3 33 5 56 
			 2003 3 33 5 56 
			 2004 4 40 7 70 
			 2005 2 20 4 40 
			 2006 5 33 4 27 
			 2007 4 36 6 55 
			 2008 5 42 5 42 
			 2009 6 46 5 38 
			 2010 4 31 5 38 
			 Source: UCAS 
		
	
	Schools have been identified as those with a postcode in the Brighton and Hove local authority. The figures cover schools classed by UCAS as comprehensive, grammar, independent and other secondary schools in England. Other kinds of centres have not contributed to this analysis. Only schools from which UCAS received applications in the cycle concerned have contributed to the proportion calculation. Figures do not account for students accepted to Oxford or Cambridge who applied directly, rather than via UCAS.
	Detailed data on applications via secondary schools is only available from 2001. Data for earlier years has not been provided as the necessary reference data is not available.

Members: Correspondence

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Bridgend of 18 March 2011, reference MM/JH/18/03/2011.

Edward Davey: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills replied, on 30 November 2010, to the 23 November 2010 letter which the hon. Member for Bridgend included in her letter of 18 March 2011.

No. 1 Hamm Strasse

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will direct his Department to initiate an investigation into the conduct of the directors of No. 1 Hamm Strasse Ltd in relation to its entry into administration.

Edward Davey: The administrators of No.1 Hamm Strasse Ltd were appointed on 1 February 2011 and they are required to report on the conduct of the directors under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 by 1 August 2011 on whether or not in their opinion the conduct of the directors makes them unfit to be concerned in the management of a company. They have not yet reported to the Insolvency Service.
	When the report is received, the Insolvency Service, on behalf of the Secretary of State, will consider whether any reported matters warrant further investigation and has a discretionary power to seek a director(s) disqualification where it is believed to be in the public interest.

Churches: Repairs and Maintenance

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church Commissioners will ask the Secretary of State for Justice to introduce legislative proposals to amend the law in respect of liability for repair of church chancels.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners have no plans to request the Secretary of State for Justice introduce legislative proposals amending the law for the repair of church chancels.
	The Church Commissioners are responsible in whole or in part for the repair of around 800 chancels across all parts of the country. The Commissioners are seeking to register their liabilities based upon their existing ownership of land by 13 October 2013 in accordance with the provisions of the Land Registration Act 2002. After that date, liabilities based on land that are not registered as overriding interests will cease on the first sale of the subject land post October 2013.

Energy Saving Trust

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to ensure that the Energy Savings Trust continues to make available to the general public resources funded from the public purse when it becomes a social enterprise.

Gregory Barker: EST will cease to receive core grant funding from DECC at the end of this financial year. EST are an independent body, but we would expect them to, alongside others, to bid for the energy efficiency contracts that DECC will put out to competitive tender in the future.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many (a) written and (b) oral representations the Electoral Commission has received on electoral registration matters from hon. Members from (i) Labour, (ii) Conservative, (iii) Liberal Democrats, (iv) Plaid Cymru, (v) Northern Ireland political parties and (vi) other political parties in each of the last five years.

Gary Streeter: Electoral Commission records show that a number of representations, including oral and written parliamentary questions and letters, have been received from hon. Members on electoral registration matters. The figures for the past five full years are detailed in the following tables.
	
		
			 Oral representations 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total 
			 Conservative 3 0 1 1 2 7 
			 Labour 0 2 1 0 2 5 
			 Liberal Democrats 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Total 3 2 3 1 4 13 
		
	
	
		
			 Written   representations 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total 
			 Conservative 5 3 7 5 0 20 
			 Labour 0 1 2 2 16 21 
			 Liberal Democrats 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Total 5 5 9 7 16 42 
		
	
	Electoral Commission records show that no representations were received from Plaid Cymru, Northern Ireland political parties or other political parties on electoral registration matters in the last five years.

Prostitution: Arrests

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been (a) arrested, (b) prosecuted and (c) convicted under the Policing and Crime Act 2009 for paying for sex with a prostitute who has been subjected to force in each year since its enactment.

Edward Garnier: Section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 created a new offence under section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 of paying for the sexual services of a prostitute subjected to force, threats or other form of coercion by a third party. This offence came into effect on 1 April 2010. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) records identify that 40 offences have been charged since its enactment. The CPS has no record of the number of arrests. The CPS case management system provides national data which relates only to the number of offences recorded in magistrates court and are not held by defendant or outcome.

Railways: Theft

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the monetary value of cables stolen from the (a) West Coast Main Line and (b) national rail network in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of an offence related to the theft of railway cables; what steps he is taking to ensure that those responsible for thefts of railway cables are apprehended; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not have an assessment of the value of cables stolen. Metal theft is a crime which hits the railway particularly hard and causes levels of disruption out of all proportion to the value of the material stolen. That is why the British Transport police (BTP), as the national police force for the railway, is in the forefront of efforts to tackle the problem, working with, Network Rail, the train operators, other police forces, the scrap metal industry and others with an interest.
	Information relating to prosecutions and convictions relating to the theft of railway cables is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport police, who can be contacted at:
	British Transport Police
	25 Camden Road
	London
	NW1 9LN.
	E-mail:
	parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk

Housing: Construction

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of homes built in St Albans constituency were built on brownfield land in each of the last five years.

Bob Neill: Information on the proportion of homes built on all previously-developed land, the proportion on previously residential land and the proportion on all previously-developed land excluding land that was previously residential in St Albans is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Proportion of new dwellings on built on previously-developed and previously-residential land, St Albans 
			  All previously-developed Previously-residential  (1) All previously developed land excluding previously residential 
			 1994-97 75 40 35 
			 1998-2001 92 24 68 
		
	
	
		
			 2001-05 94 31 63 
			 2006-09 98 37 61 
			 (1) Includes development on gardens and after demolition of dwellings. Source: Land Use Change Statistics 
		
	
	Information for local authorities is shown for four-year periods because of volatility in estimates for individual years.

Planning

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps (a) he and (b) his Department is taking to ensure that the experiences from the Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners initiative are used to inform future policy development.

Bob Neill: The Department has allocated at least one 'link' officer to liaise closely with each of the 17 councils in the 'first wave' of Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners. The insight gained by the link officers into the experiences of individual Front Runner projects will inform the development of regulations and guidance in respect of Neighbourhood Planning. We will issue a final report on the project in autumn 2012.

Planning

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he plans to issue to communities which wish to develop neighbourhood plans.

Bob Neill: We are working with the neighbourhood planning front runners and representative organisations on guidance that will help communities, local authorities and investors with neighbourhood planning.

Private Rented Housing: Energy

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what evidence his Department has supplied to the Department for Energy and Climate Change on the potential effects on the private rented sector of the proposals in the Energy Bill for landlords and tenants.

Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government officials continue to work closely with Department for Energy and Climate Change colleagues on the Energy Bill and its potential effects on the private rented sector. Energy efficiency data from the English Housing Survey Headline Report 2009-10 has fed into this process and officials from both Departments have liaised on a piece of qualitative research considering domestic and non-domestic tenants' and landlords' reactions to the Energy Bill's Green Deal.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average time between the date of commencement of a case and of a hearing in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The average time from the receipt to disposal of cases in the First-tier Tribunal—Special Educational Needs and Disability between November 2010 and May 2011 (the latest period for which figures are available) is: 18.33 weeks for cases dealt with at a hearing and 10.88 weeks for cases concluded overall(1).
	The tribunal only deals with cases arising in England; the Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales (SENTW) deals with appeals against the decisions of local authorities in Wales and is a devolved tribunal funded by the Welsh Assembly Government,
	(1) The data is management information taken from HMCTS' database and the ‘overall’ concluded figure includes cases that were conceded, withdrawn and struck out before a hearing as well as those decided at a hearing.

Community Orders

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the expected cost per offender per hour for the provision of unpaid work for the financial year 2012-13.

Crispin Blunt: No estimate has been made of the expected costs for 2012-13.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is developing systems to breakdown current expenditure on a service by service basis, including unpaid work (also known as community payback). Once the information has been reviewed and validated we will then consider how best to use it to meet commitments under the Government's Transparency Agenda.
	The NOMS Specification, Benchmarking and Costing (SBC) programme is creating specifications to be used in commissioning the services NOMS funds. This includes work to support benchmarking by estimating how much it should cost to deliver each service.

Community Orders

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any probation trusts in England and Wales received remuneration from local authorities or private companies for the provision of unpaid work tasks in the latest year for which information is available.

Crispin Blunt: Probation Trusts receive remuneration for the provision of unpaid work tasks, but the source is not centrally recorded. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is developing systems to collect current expenditure and income on a service by service basis, including. The total value of third party income is forecast at £1.4 million for 2011-12.
	The NOMS Specification, Benchmarking and Costing (SBC) programme is creating specifications to be used in commissioning the services NOMS funds. This includes work to support benchmarking by estimating how much it should cost to deliver each service.

G4S

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many contracts his Department holds with G4S; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value of each such contract is.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice holds 10 contracts with G4S which covers prisons, prisoner escort custody (PECS) services and electronic monitoring. The monetary value for these contracts is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Contractor Contract description Total contact value  (£ million) 
			 G4S Inter Prison Transfer: National 80.00 
			 G4S Prisoner Escort Custody Services: North Area 264.00 
			 G4S Prisoner Escort Custody Services: East Area 195.00 
			 G4S Electronic Monitoring 424.30 
			 G4S HMP Birmingham 468.30 
			 G4S Featherstone 2 Prison 359.90 
			 G4S HMP Altcourse 918.80 
			 G4S HMP Parc 880.30 
			 G4S HMP Rye Hill 549.10 
			 G4S HMP Wolds 73.33

Insider Trading: Prosecutions

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions for the offence of insider trading there were in each year since 1995; and what the penalty was for those convicted of such an offence in each such case.

Crispin Blunt: Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts for insider dealing, England and Wales 1995 to 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the tables as follows.
	Court proceedings data for 2011 will be available in the spring of 2012.
	
		
			 Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts for offences relating to insider dealing, England and Wales 1995 to 2010  (1, 2) 
			 Offence description Statute 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000  (3) 2001 2002 
			 Insider dealing Criminal Justice Act 1993, Sec 52         
			  Proceeded against 2 1 0 0 2 11 7 7 
			  Found guilty(5) 0 0 0 0 2 6 5 2 
			  Sentenced 0 0 0 0 2 6 5 2 
			  Of which:         
			  Absolute and Conditional discharge 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 
			  Fine 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 
			  Community sentence 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 
			  Fully suspended sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence description Statute 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008  (4) 2009 2010 
			 Insider dealing Criminal Justice Act 1993, Sec 52         
			  Proceeded against 8 3 0 2 3 5 3 9 
			  Found guilty(5) 4 5 4 2 6 0 3 2 
			  Sentenced 4 5 4 2 6 0 3 2 
			  Of which:         
			  Absolute and Conditional discharge 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Fine 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			  Community sentence 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 
			  Fully suspended sentence 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Immediate custody 2 2 4 1 1 0 1 2 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April. July and August 2008. (5) The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed the number proceeded against as the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in an earlier year and the defendants were found guilty at the Crown court in the following year; or the defendants were found guilty of a different offence to that for which they were originally proceeded against. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Serco

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many contracts his Department holds with Serco; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value of each such contract is.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice holds seven contracts with Serco covering Prisons, Prisoner Escort Custody (PECS) Services and Electronic Monitoring. The monetary value for these contracts is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Contractor  Contract description Total contract value (£ million) 
			 Serco Prisoner Escort Custody Services—London and South East Area 338.00 
			 Serco Electronic Monitoring 324.90 
			 Serco HMP Doncaster 338.70 
			 Serco Lowdham Grange 484.20 
			 Serco Dovegate 782.40 
			 Serco Ashfield 657.70 
			 Serco Belmarsh West 931.20

Theft: Sentencing

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the average length of custodial sentence for (a) armed robbery and (b) shoplifting was in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many convictions for shoplifting there were in (a) Staffordshire and (b) England and Wales in each year since 2005.

Crispin Blunt: Defendants sentenced and the average custodial sentence length for shoplifting and robbery offences in England and Wales, 2010 can be viewed in table 1. Data held centrally on the Court Proceedings Database do not include information about the circumstances behind each case other than that which may be identified from a statute. It is therefore not possible to identify from robbery offences where the defendant was sentenced for armed robbery.
	Defendants found guilty of shoplifting in Staffordshire courts and England and Wales, 2005 to 2010 can be viewed in table 2.
	
		
			 Table 1: Defendants sentenced and the average custodial sentence length (months) for shoplifting and robbery at all courts, England and Wales, 2010  (1, 2) 
			 Offence Sentenced Other sentences Immediate custody Average custodial sentence length  (3) 
			 Shoplifting(4) 78,867 65,272 13,595 1.9 
			 Robbery(5) 8,514 3,568 4,946 34.5 
			 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (3) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences.  (4) Stealing from shops and stalls (shoplifting)—Theft Act 1968.  (5) Robbery and assaults with intent to rob—Theft Act 1968.  Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Defendants found guilty of shoplifting  (1)   in Staffordshire courts and England and Wales, 2005-10  (2, 3) 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Staffordshire 1,073 1,024 1,131 1,198 1,123 1,132 
			 England and Wales 64,076 58,536 62,563 68,335 72,909 79,165 
			 (1 )Stealing from shops and stalls (shoplifting)—Theft Act 1968.  (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their Inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice.

Serco

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many contracts his Department holds with SERCO; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value is of each such contract.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) currently hold no centrally let contracts with SERCO.
	To provide information relating to contracts which may have been awarded to SERCO by our delegated procurement officers based in overseas locations would incur disproportionate costs.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice he has received from the Office of Tax Simplification on the simplification of environmental taxes.

Justine Greening: As part of the Office of Tax Simplification's (OTS) report on the review of tax reliefs the OTS suggested that both landfill tax and aggregates levy should be reviewed, as both regimes contain basic charging provisions with numerous exemptions and it may be more appropriate to define what is included rather than what is excluded. The full OTS report can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/ots_review_tax_reliefs_ final_report.pdf

Taxation: Offshore Industry

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2011, Official Report, column 360W, on taxation: offshore industry, if he will request the Office for National Statistics to determine whether the Energy Company Obligation is to be considered levy-funded spending before the Energy Bill [Lords] is considered in Public Bill Committee.

Justine Greening: The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has not yet considered the classification of the proposed Energy Company Obligation. Final classification decisions would be issued by ONS after the policy is announced by the Government.

Taxation: Offshore Industry

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will asses the effects of the increase in the supplementary charge on oil and gas companies registered in the UK on energy security.

Justine Greening: The Government, in the Budget Tax Information and Impact Note which can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2011/tiin6133.htm
	have already made an assessment of the impact of the supplementary charge increase. The Government do not expect a significant impact on investment or production (and thus on the UK's energy security) in the forecast period as a consequence of this measure.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Jason McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs telephone advisers were available to deal with taxpayer queries related to self-assessment tax returns on average in each day of the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The majority of calls to HMRC from customers with self-assessment queries are routed through a virtual network of centrally managed contact centres to advisers who are able to deal with a wide range of both self-assessment and PAYE queries. Consequently HMRC are unable to disaggregate the number of advisers available to deal specifically with queries related to self-assessment tax returns from those available to deal with other inquiries.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each local authority spent on electoral registration per elector in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: The Electoral Commission has published financial data for each local authority in Great Britain, covering the 2007-08 and 2008-09 financial years. Information on the 2009-10 financial year will be published on their website in July 2011.
	The information requested can be found on the Commission's website:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/performance-standards/financial-information

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2010, Official Report, columns 303-04W, on the electoral register, what information he holds on any local authority which has not implemented the provisions of section 96 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 in respect of the number of house to house inquiries to be carried out.

Mark Harper: The Department does not hold any information in addition to the information collected and published by the Electoral Commission. Information on performance by electoral registration officers in each local authority is collected by the Electoral Commission as part of their work on monitoring performance standards. The Electoral Commission's Third Report on Performance Standards was published in April 2011 and can be found at:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/116444/ERO-Performance-Report-Final.pdf

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons he proposes to change the date for the introduction of individual voter registration from 2015 to 2014.

Mark Harper: The coalition agreement published in May last year promised to speed up the implementation of individual electoral registration to tackle election fraud. I then announced in this House in September last year that we proposed to drop the previous Government's plans for a voluntary phase of individual registration and move directly to make it compulsory from 2014, with special transitional arrangements to “carry forward” any electors already on the register who do not register under the new system that year.
	The introduction of individual electoral registration will allow steps to be taken to tackle electoral fraud to restore voters' confidence in the system by improving the accuracy and security of the register, but they will also allow the Government to take steps to improve the completeness of the register.
	We will make a full announcement about the Government's plans for the implementation of individual electoral registration shortly.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effects of the introduction of individual voter registration on levels of electoral registration.

Mark Harper: The introduction of individual electoral registration will allow the Government to take steps to improve the completeness of the electoral register.
	We will make a full announcement about the Government's plans for the implementation of individual electoral registration shortly. We are working with the Electoral Commission to ensure that the move towards individual electoral registration is informed by appropriate evidence. For example, this year we are funding the Electoral Commission to carry out research to provide a robust national measure of completeness and accuracy of the registers. This is because the current data we have on completeness and accuracy is either incomplete or out of date. Further research will be conducted to measure completeness and accuracy both before and after the move to individual electoral registration.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what information he holds on the electoral registration rates for (a) 17 to 24 year olds, (b) private sector tenants and (c) members of black and other minority ethnic groups in each of the last five years; and what steps he is taking to improve electoral registration rates in these groups.

Mark Harper: The Government do not hold this information. The Electoral Commission's March 2010 report on the ‘Completeness and Accuracy of Electoral Registers in Great Britain’ estimated that under registration was higher than average among 17 to 24-years-olds (56% not registered); private sector tenants (49%); and black and minority ethnic British residents (31%).
	However, the report makes clear that the process of estimating registration rates is an “imprecise science” and says that “all current approaches to estimating the completeness and accuracy of the electoral registers at a national level are imperfect”.
	The introduction of individual electoral registration will allow the Government to take steps to improve the completeness of the electoral register. This includes funding the Electoral Commission to carry out research to provide a robust national measure of completeness and accuracy of the registers. Further research will be conducted to measure completeness and accuracy both before and after the move to individual electoral registration.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to engage with hon. Members to increase electoral registration in their constituencies.

Mark Harper: The Government are committed to doing all they can to improve registration rates in the context of the implementation of individual electoral registration (IER) in Great Britain. We would welcome any input from hon. Members to determine what more can be done to tackle under registration. We are about to commence pilot schemes in some 22 electoral registration areas to test the effectiveness of data matching in improving the accuracy and completeness of the electoral register. I recently wrote to those hon. Members whose constituencies draw on registers held by those areas to explain in detail what we are doing and why, and to encourage their support, in Parliament and locally, for the pilot scheme that will be running in their constituency.
	As we implement IER, we will, of course, work with MPs to ensure they are in a position to encourage electoral registration in their constituencies.

Steve Field

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what recent meetings officials in his Department have had with Professor Steve Field;
	(2)  whether his Department has provided support to Professor Steve Field for the listening exercise.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has not provided any support to Professor Steve Field in relation to the NHS Listening Exercise, and no Cabinet Office officials have met with Professor Steve Field.

Taxation: Offshore Industry

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Energy Company Obligation is classified by the Office of National Statistics as tax and spending for national accounts purposes.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking whether the Energy Company Obligation has been classified by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as tax and spending for national accounts purposes. (58569).
	ONS makes classification decisions in line with a published protocol that is available on our website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/downloads/NAclassification.pdf
	DECC states (see
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/What%20we%20do/Supporting%20consumers/green_deal/1732-extra-help-where-it-is-needed-a-new-energy-compan.pdf
	that the “Energy Company Obligation” is envisaged as a successor to the CERT energy efficiency obligation which finishes at the end of 2012. We understand that the existing legislative basis is being supplemented in the Energy Bill currently before Parliament.
	As such, the ECO is a proposed policy, rather than an existing scheme. Paragraphs 31-37 of the classification protocol sets out how ONS deals with policy proposals such as this. ONS does not usually classify proposed schemes unless asked to do so by Government, such requests do not usually arise until a scheme is well developed.
	To date ONS has not been asked to provide an indicative classification of the Energy Company Obligation.

Ambulance Services: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of NHS ambulances serving the South Lakeland District in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: No assessment has been made of the number of national health service ambulances serving the South Lakeland district. The geographical provision of ambulances is a matter for the local NHS to determine in accordance with local demand.

Ambulance Services: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the average ambulance response time in (a) Cumbria and (b) South Lakeland District in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: Information on average ambulance response times is not collected centrally. Data on performance against ambulance response time targets is collected at ambulance trust level only and is published annually by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care in the statistical bulletin “Ambulance Services England”. These documents are available on the NHS Information Centre for health and social care website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/audits-and-performance/ambulance

Care Homes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of (a) residential care places provided by Southern Cross and (b) vacant places in other provision in each local authority area.

Paul Burstow: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) collects data on the total numbers of care home places as part of its work to register all care homes in England.
	A table, showing total numbers of care home places and numbers of places in Southern Cross homes in each local authority area has been placed in the Library.
	Neither the Department nor the CQC collects occupancy or vacancy information. However, the health and social care analysts, Laing and Buisson, report that vacancy levels in care homes average 10-11% in England.

Departmental Research

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2011, Official Report, columns 674-8W, on research, for what reason data collection on (a) three-year funding for third sector organisations, (b) 18-week referral to treatment, (c) swine flu vaccine uptake from GP-registered patients, (d) NHS staff engagement and attitudes towards the NHS, (e) National Children's Health Service mapping, (f) monitoring of extended GP practice opening hours, (g) GP premises data and (h) junior doctors' hours has been terminated; whom he consulted on the termination of data collection in each case; and whether any savings have accrued from each such termination.

Simon Burns: As part of the Department's arrangements to keep the burden of data collection under control, all these returns were due for routine review or renewal in the period and no strong case could be made for retention. For some this reflected the intrinsically temporary nature of the original case. Others had been needed to monitor specific targets and policies that were no longer relevant. In the case of 18-week referral to treatment, the main return on which published National Statistics are based has been retained but a subsidiary Patient Tracking List return designed to support detailed performance management is no longer centrally needed.
	None of these data collections were needed to support National Statistics or other high profile official statistics publications so no formal consultation was undertaken, but they will be included in the forthcoming consultation on the Department's Fundamental Review of Data Returns for completeness. In one case (National Children's Health Service mapping) the decision to discontinue followed an independent review involving stakeholders.
	Estimated annual collection costs to the national health service of these eight collections were £4.6 million.

Disease Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.

Simon Burns: There is no simple solution to controlling antibiotic resistance. Appropriate prescribing to slow the emergence of resistant strains, good microbiological practice and surveillance to ensure detection and high standards of infection prevention and control practice, are all key steps to prevent the spread of these bacteria.
	“The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance” provides guidance. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
	All organisations, including primary care, will use a number of specific measures to tackle antibiotic resistance. These measures include the use of antibiotic stewardship programmes to minimise the unnecessary use of antibiotics and thus reduce the selection pressure for resistance to develop accurate and prompt detection of resistant strains of bacteria and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening to reduce the risk of onwards transmission in hospitals and other settings. The Department's expert Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) undertake ongoing horizon scanning and advise on emerging problems: for example the committee recently issued guidance with the Health Protection Agency on the control of newer highly resistant carbapenemase producing bacteria such as those with New Delhi Metallo Beta Lactamase. The Department and ARHAI also actively promote good antibiotic prescribing.

E. coli

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the UK Border Agency on the screening of imports of fruit and vegetables in the light of the recent e-coli outbreak in Germany.

Anne Milton: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency that the UK Border Agency does not have responsibility for the screening of fruit and vegetables for food safety purposes.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is closely monitoring the E. coli outbreak that is centred in Germany to assess and deal with any risks to United Kingdom consumers. There is no evidence that contaminated products related to the outbreak have entered the UK food chain. The cases of illness reported in the UK and linked to this outbreak involve people who have recently travelled to Germany. The Health Protection Agency has advised clinicians to be alert to the symptoms of E. coli infection.
	Should the FSA suspect that contaminated products associated with this outbreak have entered the UK, immediate action would be taken to alert consumers, withdraw food from the shops and ban further shipments.

Health Services: Older People

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response his Department has made to the findings of the report of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, on Care and Compassion, HC 778.

Paul Burstow: We asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to implement a series of unannounced nurse led inspections into elderly care on national health service wards. The findings of the first 12 reports of the inspections into dignity and nutrition for older people were published on 26 May 2011 and a further 14 reports were also published on 9 June 2011. A national report into the findings of the programme will be published in September.
	On 15 February 2011, the chief executive of the NHS and the National Clinical Director for Older People wrote to all NHS Boards' highlighting the Ombudsman's report and urging them to assure themselves that these events are not happening in their own organisations.
	Subject to parliamentary approval, the Health and Social Care Bill will also provide for the creation of local HealthWatch organisations to hold services to account, and enable the CQC to use its enforcement powers to ensure that real improvements are made.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was of NHS treatments administered to visitors from overseas in the last year for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: The total audited figures on total losses, bad debt and claims abandoned for overseas visitors who were charged for national health service hospital treatment for 2009-10, for which figures are available for England, are shown following in the table. However, data are not available on the cost to the NHS of administering hospital treatment to overseas visitors who are exempt from charge under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended.
	
		
			 Bad debts and claims abandoned in respect of overseas patients 
			  £ 
			 2009-10 6,967,780 
			 Note: We do not collect data from NHS foundation trusts so figures exclude these sites. Source: NHS Trust Audited Summarisation Schedules.

Lung Cancer

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients aged (a) 49 years and under, (b) 50 to 59 years, (c) 60 to 69 years, (d) 70 to 79 years and (e) 80 years and over have received (i) chemotherapy, (ii) radiotherapy and (iii) surgery for lung cancer (A) by each provider, (B) from each primary care trust, (C) in each cancer network and (D) in total in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: Tables showing the number of patients aged 49 years and under, 50 to 59 years, 60 to 69 years, 70 to 79 years and 80 years and over who have received surgery for lung cancer, presented by each provider, each primary care trust (PCT) and in total have been placed in the Library. It should be noted that these data should not be described as a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion.
	This information is not available at cancer network level. This information has been provided for the period 2005-06 to 2009-10, and PCT data have been presented separately for 2005-06 due to the re-configuration of PCTs in 2006-07.
	Hospital Episode statistics (HES) are unable to provide chemotherapy data for lung cancer treatment. It is not possible to classify chemotherapy for specific cancers without being provided with exact chemotherapy regimen names. A chemotherapy dataset is in development that will provide a more detailed picture of chemotherapy treatments in the national health service in the future.
	HES are unable to provide radiotherapy data in the format requested. The vast majority of radiotherapy treatment is delivered in an out-patient setting, and the collection of out-patient procedure data are not currently mandated. The National Radiotherapy Dataset project team is working with providers to improve collection of radiotherapy data. A report on the development of the dataset is expected shortly.

Lung Cancer

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of bed occupancy for patients with lung cancer as a proportion of all cancers in (a) England, (b) each cancer network and (c) each primary care trust areas in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: Tables showing bed occupancy for patients with lung cancer as a proportion of all cancers in England and in each primary care trust (PCT) areas have been placed in the Library.
	This information is not available at cancer network level. This information has been provided for the period 2005-06 to 2009-10, and PCT data have been presented separately for 2005-06 due to the re-configuration of PCTs in 2006-07.

Medical Equipment: Counterfeit Manufacturing

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 853W, on medical equipment: counterfeit manufacturing, if he will place in the Library a copy of the medical devices alert issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency requesting the withdrawal of the counterfeit devices in question; and by what means the alert was transmitted to all NHS trusts;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 853W, on medical equipment: counterfeit manufacturing, how many of the high volume consumable devices found to have reached the NHS supply chain in 2009 were distributed;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 853W, on medical equipment: counterfeit manufacturing, what the (a) type and (b) make is of each counterfeit medical device found to have reached the NHS supply chain in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2011;
	(4)  whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency received information in (a) January and (b) March 2011 about the safety of a counterfeit pulse oximeter sensor found in use in a hospital;
	(5)  what progress has been made in the investigation into the counterfeit pulse oximeter sensors found in hospitals within the last year.

Simon Burns: A copy of the Medical Devices Alert on counterfeit pulse oximeter sensors has been placed in the Library. This alert was originally disseminated to national health service trusts through the NHS central alerting system which brings together the chief medical officer’s public health link and the safety alert broadcast system. The central alerting system enables alerts and patient safety specific guidance issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Patient Safety Agency to be accessed at any time.
	All of the counterfeit high volume consumable devices found in the NHS supply chain in 2009 were distributed.
	The 110,000 counterfeit devices found in 2009 were single use needles for the delivery of insulin. In 2011, 300 counterfeit pulse oximeter sensors and six packs of counterfeit condoms were found in the NHS supply chain.
	MHRA received information in January and March 2011 about the safety of a counterfeit pulse oximeter sensor found in use in a hospital. I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 666W, for details of the subsequent investigation which is still continuing and the action taken.

NHS: Finance

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the level of additional resources which would be required in order to increase the NHS budget in line with the most recent Bank of England median consumer prices index inflation forecast for 2011-12.

Simon Burns: It is not appropriate to calculate growth in national health service spending using Bank of England mean consumer price index (CPI). CPI measures only consumer prices.
	NHS spending comprises a significant proportion of gross domestic product (GDP). Hence, the GDP deflator is used to calculate growth in NHS spending, since the GDP deflator reflects the prices of all domestically-produced goods and services in the economy.
	This approach is consistent with that taken by the previous Administration.

Pharmacy

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency follows to monitor pharmaceutical wholesalers.

Simon Burns: Persons that supply medicines for human use, by way of wholesale distribution for use in the United Kingdom or another member state of the European economic area, are required to hold a wholesale distribution authorisation.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) routinely conduct inspections of the facilities of holders of such authorisations following a risk-based approach, to confirm compliance with United Kingdom medicines regulations and the European Commission’s guideline on good distribution practice.
	Holders of wholesale distribution authorisations who fail to comply with statutory requirements may be subject to formal action by the MHRA in order to protect public health. This can include suspension or revocation of their wholesale distribution authorisations.

Drugs: Crime

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department were working on implementing the 2010 Drugs Strategy in each month since January 2011; and how many officials she expects to be working on implementing the strategy in each year to 2013.

James Brokenshire: The 2010 Drugs Strategy is being implemented across government in a number of Departments. In the Home Office, the current drug strategy and legislation team have 12 full-time equivalent posts. A number of these posts have a component which incorporates the implementation of the 2010 Drugs Strategy.

Human Trafficking

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department provides on the length of the recommended support period for victims of human trafficking.

Damian Green: Under the National Referral Mechanism, decisions about who is a victim of trafficking are made by trained specialists in designated 'competent authorities'. The detailed guidance issued to competent authorities instructs that a minimum 45-day recovery and reflection period should be granted to identified victims and extended where circumstances warrant.
	The guidance is available at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/asylumprocessguidance/specialcases/guidance/competent-guidance
	and I shall place a copy in the Library.

Repatriation: Families

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2011, Official Report, columns 414-15W, on deportation: children, how many of the 230 family groups removed from the UK between 1 May 2010 and 30 April 2011 departed voluntarily.

Damian Green: Since my original response of 23 May 2011, Official Report, columns 414-15W, the figures have been refreshed and now show that there were 236 family groups removed from the UK between 1 May 2010 and 30 April 2011. Of these, 144 departed voluntarily.
	The information provided cannot be taken from, or compared to published National Statistics as these report on children rather than family groups. Published National Statistics do not separately identify all enforced removals and all voluntary departures.
	All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Disability Living Allowance: Mobility Component

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effects on people with autism of the proposed reduction in the mobility component of disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: There are no proposals to reduce the mobility component of disability living allowance.
	We announced that we would not remove the DLA mobility component from people in residential care from October 2012 and that we would review the existing evidence and gather more to determine the extent to which there are overlaps in provision for mobility needs of people in residential care homes.
	When the work is complete we will, make a final decision on the way forward. Any changes will be rolled into the introduction of personal independence payment from April 2013.

Disability Living Allowance: Islington

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the London borough of Islington were in receipt of disability living allowance in the latest period for which figures are available; how many recipients have been interviewed and their benefits reassessed since May 2010; and how many (a) were awarded a lower level of benefit, (b) lost all of their allowance and (c) were successful on appeal.

Maria Miller: The number of people in the London borough of Islington who are in receipt of disability living allowance is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Disability living allowance recipients: November 2010 
			  Number 
			 Islington local authority 10,930 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. DLA figures are published at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110330154536/http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100% data. 
		
	
	Personal independence payment and the new objective assessment will be implemented for people of working age from April 2013 and any interviews and reassessments in relation to the new benefit will not take place before that date.
	We are unable to provide information on how many current recipients of disability living allowance have been interviewed and had their benefit re-assessed since May 2010, and the outcomes, as management information systems within the Pensions Disability and Carer's Service do not record that detail.

Employment and Support Allowance

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for East Ham of 16 May 2011, Official Report, columns 94-95W, if he will estimate the proportion of contributory employment and support allowance claimants in (a) Glasgow and (b) Scotland in (i) the work-related activity group and (ii) the assessment phase who would, in a steady-state without time-limiting, have a duration of 12 months or more.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available. The modelling of the future employment and support allowance case load, with and without time limiting, is made at a national level and cannot be broken down into smaller geographies.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the adequacy of the assessment process for determining employment and support allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: We are committed to improving the work capability assessment so it is as fair and accurate as possible.
	As part of this, we welcome the first Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment, led by Professor Malcolm Harrington. The review considered a substantial amount of evidence, including over 400 responses from individuals, organisations and representative bodies to a call for evidence.
	As a result of his review of this evidence, Professor Harrington has come forward with a wide range of far-reaching and challenging proposals which we are committed to taking forward. Indeed most of these changes are already in place and we will implement the remainder by summer to coincide with the first work capability assessments of incapacity benefits claimants taking part in the full nationwide reassessment.
	We have now appointed Professor Harrington to conduct a second independent review of the WCA and provide further recommendations as appropriate. As part of this review, we expect Professor Harrington to launch a further call for evidence this summer.
	The Department continues to value the views of disability groups and we are engaged in ongoing and helpful dialogue both at ministerial and official level with group representatives. For example, I can confirm that my officials have recently met with Mind, Mencap, National Autistic Society and RNIB to discuss WCA-related issues.

G4S

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts his Department holds with G4S; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value of each such contract is.

Chris Grayling: For the Department for Work and Pensions, the G4S Group holds one Learning and Development contract and three, regionally based, Work Programme contracts.
	Further details are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Supplier Contract purpose Contract value (£ million) 
			 G4S Assessment Services Learning and Development 0.035 
			 G4S Regional Management (UK & I) Ltd Work Programme (Contract Package Area 07) 69.3 
			 G4S Regional Management (UK & I) Ltd Work Programme (Contract Package Area 10) 76.1 
			 G4S Regional Management (UK & I) Ltd Work Programme (Contract Package Area 18) 44.5

Income Support: Young People

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people aged 20 were in receipt of income support because they were living independently and in full-time education in each year since 2005.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
	The data the Department does hold on categories of income support (IS) claimants aged 20 is in the following table.
	The ‘others receiving IS’ category gives an approximation of the number of claimants living independently and in full-time education.
	
		
			 Income support 20-year-old claimants by statistical group in Great Britain, November 2010 
			  Number 
			 All 30,480 
			 Incapacity benefit 2,390 
			 Lone parent 22,820 
			 Carer 1,280 
			 Others receiving IS 3,990 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data has been compiled using the claimants Income Support Statistical Group, this is a hierarchical variable. A person who fits into more than one category will only appear in the top-most one for which they are eligible. 3. Lone parents are defined as claimants on income support with a child under 16 and no partner. Lone parent obligations were introduced from 24 November 2008 affecting the age of the youngest child. 4. Incapacity benefits are defined as those receiving incapacity benefit or disability living allowance. 5. Carers are defined as those receiving carer’s allowance. Source: 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study data.

Industrial Diseases: Death

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deaths from occupational diseases reported to have been caused or aggravated by workplace conditions his Department has recorded since 2010.

Chris Grayling: Statistics relating to deaths from occupational diseases reported to have been caused or aggravated by workplace conditions since 2010 are not available.
	No single source of information provides a count of the number of people that have died from occupational illnesses. For some causes of death, occupational cases are clinically indistinguishable from those due to other factors. For these causes numbers have to be estimated rather than counted.
	Research commissioned by HSE estimated that 8,019 cancer deaths in Great Britain in 2005 were attributable to exposures to carcinogens at work, and it is likely that a similar number would have occurred in subsequent years. This estimate includes deaths from the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma.
	Using other international research, it is also estimated that there are currently approximately 4,000 deaths in Great Britain each year from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) due to past occupational exposures to dusts, gases, vapours and fumes. Again, it is likely that a similar number would have occurred in subsequent years.
	The number of deaths in Great Britain for 2008 (the latest year for which data are available) due to the small group of diseases that can be regarded as occupational on the basis of the cause of death alone are provided in table 1.
	Most of the occupational diseases that cause death usually take many years to develop following occupational exposures. Estimates of current deaths therefore largely reflect industrial conditions of the past.
	
		
			 Table 1: Deaths due to occupational lung diseases 2008 
			  Number 
			 Mesothelioma(1) (2)2,249 
			 Asbestosis(3) (2)360 
			 Pneumoconiosis other than asbestosis 139 
			 Byssinosis 1 
			 Farmer's lung and other occupational allergic alveolitis 7 
			 Total 2,756 
			 (1) Death certificates that mention mesothelioma. (2) Provisional. (3) Death certificates that mention asbestosis excluding those that also mention mesothelioma. Source: Health and Safety Executive

Jobcentre Plus: Closures

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the closure of jobcentre plus and benefit contact centres in Liverpool, Huyton and Chester on (a) response times for replies to correspondence and (b) the quality of service provided to users.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Darra Singh
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking what assessment has been made of the potential effect of the closure of Jobcentre Plus Benefit and Contact Centres in Liverpool, Huyton and Chester on (a) response times for replies to correspondence and (b) the quality of service provided to users. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The closures of the Benefit and Contact Centres in Liverpool, Huyton and Chester should affect neither our correspondence response times nor the quality of the service that we provide to our customers.
	With regards the correspondence that we receive, Jobcentre Plus has clearly laid down service standards whereby a customer can expect a full response within 10 working days of us receiving the letter. We are also committed to responding to Members of Parliament writing to us on behalf of a customer within 15 working days.
	The rationalisation of our offices can be completed without impacting on the service, we offer to our customers. Our contact centre network is virtual, meaning that calls are routed to the next available agent no matter where they are in the country. Similarly, customers do not actually have direct contact with our benefit processing sites - telephone calls about benefit enquiries are dealt with in our contact centre network.
	Our business transformation is designed to respond to the changing ways that people seek to access, our services. Our online job search facility receives more than a million visits every day and our contact centres handle more than 230,000 calls every working day. People can now apply for Jobseeker's Allowance via the internet and more than 500,000 have done so. We are planning to build on these arrangements and introduce a range of new digital services that today's employers and customers expect, including online benefit tracking and enabling jobseekers to create online profiles which can then be matched to vacancies. We are also focused on continuing to modernise and develop our benefit centres to drive up productivity and value for money.

Serco

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts his Department holds with SERCO; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value of each such contract is.

Chris Grayling: For the Department for Work and Pensions, the Serco Group holds two Work Programme, 10 Science, Research and Technical Support and three Flexible New Deal contracts. Although there are a total of 15 live contracts in all, the three Flexible New Deal contracts will terminate in June 2011. Further details of the contracts are provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Supplier Contract purpose Contract value  (£ million) 
			 Serco Group plc Work Programme (Contract Package Area 15) 72.0 
			 Serco Group plc Work Programme (Contract Package Area 17) 43.7 
			 Serco Group plc Flexible New Deal—Coventry and Warwickshire, The Marches, Staffordshire 138.3 
			 Serco Group plc Flexible New Deal—Greater Manchester Central, Greater Manchester East and West 118.2 
			 Serco Group plc Flexible New Deal—South East Wales, North and Mid Wales 137.2 
			 Serco Group plc 10 x Science, Research and Technical Support contracts for the Health and Safety Executive 0.536

Work Capability Assessment

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what means the proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill will take account of the findings of the Harrington Review of the work capacity assessment in relation to fluctuating conditions.

Chris Grayling: We are committed to improving the Work Capability Assessment so it is as fair and accurate as possible.
	As part of this, we welcome the first Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment, led by Professor Malcolm Harrington. We are committed to taking forward all of his recommendations. Most of these changes are already in place and we will implement the remainder by summer to coincide with the first work capability assessments of incapacity benefits claimants taking part in the full nationwide reassessment.
	Additionally, as part of his second independent annual review of the Work Capability Assessment, Professor Harrington has already asked a number of charities including the MS Society, Arthritis Care, Parkinsons UK, Colitis UK, Crohns and the National Aids Trust to look in detail at the Work Capability Assessment descriptors for fluctuating conditions.
	We look forward to receiving Professor Harrington's recommendations regarding these conditions later this summer.